Venture capital (VC) investors need lawyers who understand not only the law and the financial business, but also the fast-changing world of emerging and high-growth companies.
Michael Best has worked with hundreds of start-ups and investors across the country, including individual VC and angel investors, venture and private equity funds, and financial institutions.
Our Venture Capital team includes attorneys who are also investors and entrepreneurs, giving us firsthand insight into effective strategies for finding the right investment partners, structuring deals, and achieving growth objectives. Through our extensive network of contacts, we are often able to help match up investors with entrepreneurs who meet their investment goals and criteria — a significant value-added service.
We represent venture capital and angel investors in various aspects of their activities, from initial seed rounds to later-stage investments and portfolio management, including:
- Fund formation
- Post-formation development and growth of funds
- Business formation, capitalization, and financing strategies
- Negotiation of financing terms and drafting of all related documentation
- Equity and material transfer agreements
- Documenting minority investments into portfolio companies (investment agreements, subordinated debt or preferred equity purchase agreements)
- SBA requirements for VC funds that qualify as a Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) or Minority Enterprise Small Business Investment Company (MESBIC)
- Corporate structure, governance, and control of start-ups
In addition, through our Venture Best® practice group, we provide ongoing advice and litigation representation to portfolio companies. We’ve worked with start-ups and growth companies in virtually every industry, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, information technology, clean tech, electronics, and other high-tech sectors. Our Venture Capital and Venture Best teams are backed by more than 200 Michael Best lawyers with a wide range of skills and experience in matters such as corporate, environmental, labor and employment, intellectual property, and tax issues.